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Oddball Wisconsin: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places
Chatty Belle, the World's Largest Talking Cow. The Mendota Monster. Apostles on Parade. The UFO Capital of the World. Romeo, the clown-stomping elephant. Car-washing octopi. Other travel guides suggest the same old scenic driving tours, homey bed-and-breakfasts, and the best fall foliage— Oddball Wisconsin offers offbeat travel destinations and little-known historical tidbits. Where was Liberace born? What is a hodag and where do you catch one? Who invented the hamburger? And will a Polka Hall of Fame ever be built? This is the guide to the real Wisconsin, birthplace of the snowmobile, the typewriter, and the ice cream sundae, home to Jimmy the Groundhog and home of the Rudolph Grotto and Wonder Cave—the state where people proudly wear the moniker “cheesehead.”
- GenresTravelNonfictionHumor
242 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2001
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40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 8, 2022
Review(s) originally published January 2007, September 2007, and August 2014 (on the updated edition of this book)
Three staff members, who wish to be anonymous, wrote reviews for this book. Enjoy!
Review #1:
Warmer weather…beaches…swimming…fishing…amusement parks…camping…time off from work…getting up when you want to…What does all this remind you of? YOUR SUMMER VACATION!!!
What a great time of year to start planning your summer get-away! If you plan your destination now, not only does it give you and your family something to look forward to, a lot of times you can save yourself a lot of money by booking your motels now rather than later.
Stop in at your favorite La Crosse County Library branch and check out the travel section. We just got in a new series of books called Celebrate the States. Each state has its own book. Included in each book are beautiful pictures of places and things you can see in that area, and it tells a little bit of history as well.
I am in the middle of planning a summer family trip to Mackinac Island myself, and these books were a big help. Even though I knew we wanted to go to the island, I also wanted to find some other things to do while we were in Michigan. I have found more than enough things to do. (In fact, we might need to plan a longer vacation now!)
You don’t need to go far away, either, to have some good fun. We also have a new book called Oddball Wisconsin: A Guide To Some Really Strange Places by Jerome Pohlen.
Did you know that the "World's Largest Corkscrew" is in Hurley, Wisconsin? (Its 15 feet tall). "The Worlds Largest Penny" is in Woodruff, Wisconsin. (It's 10 feet tall!) If nothing else, you should just read this book for fun!
So why not start planning your summer trip now? It can help chase away those “winter blues."
THINK SPRING!!!
Review #2:
Traveling in your car during September and October is not only fun, but it gives you a chance to explore unusual or oddball places in Wisconsin. These are not the scenic drives or homey bed-and-breakfasts. Oddball Wisconsin, by Jerome Pohlen, is just the travel book for you. Some of the areas include northern and southern Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and Wisconsin Dells.
Some sites include elaborate concrete shrines in front yards or enormous fiberglass figures of chickens, fish, and corkscrews. Museums are opened to honor toy tops, cheese, hamburgers, and angels. Towns hold festivals to celebrate cow chip tossing and watermelon seed spitting.
This book offers you road trip information you are not likely to find anywhere else. Who invented the hamburger and where? Which rodent is a better weather forecaster, Jimmy the Groundhog, or Punxsutawney Phil? Where was artist Georgia O’Keefe born?
Forget antiquing in Door County, fly-fishing in the North Woods, and bicycling along the Mississippi River. It is time to live a little and laugh a lot on your vacation. The author gives clear directions.
Come in and check out this and other travel books!
Review #3:
There is still plenty of nice weather left to take a day trip or weekend trip, so why not visit the many oddball places in our home state of Wisconsin? And believe me, after reading Oddball Wisconsin: A Guide to 400 Really Strange Places by Jerome Pohlen, one may really get a chuckle out of some of these oddities.
I thought it amusing that the author lives in Chicago, but before I jumped to the conclusion that he enjoyed making fun of his cheese-head neighbors I decided to google him. He has written many other Oddball books about other states as well, including Illinois. Mr. Pohlen is an editor and travel writer and has appeared in the Chicago Reader, Reader’s Digest and Time Out Chicago. He is the author of the Oddball series and Progressive Nation.
How do these people in Oddball Wisconsin spend their time? Well, they organize festivals around such things as pot roasts, UFOs, rutabagas, watermelon seed spitting, and cow chip tossing. But wait, there is more.! They erect gigantic concrete shrines and fiberglass statues of fish, corkscrews, and more.
I will attempt to pick an oddity in every region of the state, which is hard, because there are so many to choose from. The oddity that jumped out at me in the northern region is located in Lake Nebagaman. There you will find a big ball of twine that weighs 19,920 pounds and is complexly woven with twine scraps of red, yellow, green, and blue resembling a brain. It’s even squishy like a brain! The creator, James Frank Kotera, started his pet project in 1975, and he is still at it in his spare time.
In central Wisconsin, you can take a drive to Plover to a restaurant that was once a historic house owned by the Mulderink family, who were strict teetotalers. Apparently, the spirits were upset when their master bedroom was converted to a bar, and strange things such as wine glasses exploding and windows and doors opening and closing on their own were reported. Today it’s known as the Cottage Café. See it for yourself...if you dare!
New Glarus in southern Wisconsin might possibly have the most wacky, unique garages. In the 1920s, a resident decided there was nothing more durable than concrete, but he had to beautify it a bit by adding objects such as broken dishes, metal toys, and who knows what else. Every square inch is decorated. And of course, some of the neighbors ran amok with this wacky idea.
The eastern coast of Wisconsin really has so much to see. This region gave the world the hamburger in Seymour, and the ice cream sundae, which originated in Two Rivers. Now we all know why Green Bay is famous, but did you know it’s the toilet paper capital of the world? So pack up and head east!
This book also has its own chapters on Mad Town, The Dells, Milwaukee, and the Monster Tour. Monster Tour?? Hmmmmm…..not sure I’ve ever heard of this, but Halloween isn’t too far off to find out. Whatever region you visit be sure to pack your camera!
This book can be found in the travel section at the La Crosse County branch in Onalaska. Check out our other branches in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, and West Salem.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
Three staff members, who wish to be anonymous, wrote reviews for this book. Enjoy!
Review #1:
Warmer weather…beaches…swimming…fishing…amusement parks…camping…time off from work…getting up when you want to…What does all this remind you of? YOUR SUMMER VACATION!!!
What a great time of year to start planning your summer get-away! If you plan your destination now, not only does it give you and your family something to look forward to, a lot of times you can save yourself a lot of money by booking your motels now rather than later.
Stop in at your favorite La Crosse County Library branch and check out the travel section. We just got in a new series of books called Celebrate the States. Each state has its own book. Included in each book are beautiful pictures of places and things you can see in that area, and it tells a little bit of history as well.
I am in the middle of planning a summer family trip to Mackinac Island myself, and these books were a big help. Even though I knew we wanted to go to the island, I also wanted to find some other things to do while we were in Michigan. I have found more than enough things to do. (In fact, we might need to plan a longer vacation now!)
You don’t need to go far away, either, to have some good fun. We also have a new book called Oddball Wisconsin: A Guide To Some Really Strange Places by Jerome Pohlen.
Did you know that the "World's Largest Corkscrew" is in Hurley, Wisconsin? (Its 15 feet tall). "The Worlds Largest Penny" is in Woodruff, Wisconsin. (It's 10 feet tall!) If nothing else, you should just read this book for fun!
So why not start planning your summer trip now? It can help chase away those “winter blues."
THINK SPRING!!!
Review #2:
Traveling in your car during September and October is not only fun, but it gives you a chance to explore unusual or oddball places in Wisconsin. These are not the scenic drives or homey bed-and-breakfasts. Oddball Wisconsin, by Jerome Pohlen, is just the travel book for you. Some of the areas include northern and southern Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and Wisconsin Dells.
Some sites include elaborate concrete shrines in front yards or enormous fiberglass figures of chickens, fish, and corkscrews. Museums are opened to honor toy tops, cheese, hamburgers, and angels. Towns hold festivals to celebrate cow chip tossing and watermelon seed spitting.
This book offers you road trip information you are not likely to find anywhere else. Who invented the hamburger and where? Which rodent is a better weather forecaster, Jimmy the Groundhog, or Punxsutawney Phil? Where was artist Georgia O’Keefe born?
Forget antiquing in Door County, fly-fishing in the North Woods, and bicycling along the Mississippi River. It is time to live a little and laugh a lot on your vacation. The author gives clear directions.
"Remember these Oddball travel tips:
* Call ahead; Wisconsin is a seasonal travel state, and some sites may be closed for the winter season.
* Don’t trespass; just because someone built a sculpture garden in their front yard doesn’t mean they’re looking for visitors."
Come in and check out this and other travel books!
Review #3:
There is still plenty of nice weather left to take a day trip or weekend trip, so why not visit the many oddball places in our home state of Wisconsin? And believe me, after reading Oddball Wisconsin: A Guide to 400 Really Strange Places by Jerome Pohlen, one may really get a chuckle out of some of these oddities.
I thought it amusing that the author lives in Chicago, but before I jumped to the conclusion that he enjoyed making fun of his cheese-head neighbors I decided to google him. He has written many other Oddball books about other states as well, including Illinois. Mr. Pohlen is an editor and travel writer and has appeared in the Chicago Reader, Reader’s Digest and Time Out Chicago. He is the author of the Oddball series and Progressive Nation.
How do these people in Oddball Wisconsin spend their time? Well, they organize festivals around such things as pot roasts, UFOs, rutabagas, watermelon seed spitting, and cow chip tossing. But wait, there is more.! They erect gigantic concrete shrines and fiberglass statues of fish, corkscrews, and more.
I will attempt to pick an oddity in every region of the state, which is hard, because there are so many to choose from. The oddity that jumped out at me in the northern region is located in Lake Nebagaman. There you will find a big ball of twine that weighs 19,920 pounds and is complexly woven with twine scraps of red, yellow, green, and blue resembling a brain. It’s even squishy like a brain! The creator, James Frank Kotera, started his pet project in 1975, and he is still at it in his spare time.
In central Wisconsin, you can take a drive to Plover to a restaurant that was once a historic house owned by the Mulderink family, who were strict teetotalers. Apparently, the spirits were upset when their master bedroom was converted to a bar, and strange things such as wine glasses exploding and windows and doors opening and closing on their own were reported. Today it’s known as the Cottage Café. See it for yourself...if you dare!
New Glarus in southern Wisconsin might possibly have the most wacky, unique garages. In the 1920s, a resident decided there was nothing more durable than concrete, but he had to beautify it a bit by adding objects such as broken dishes, metal toys, and who knows what else. Every square inch is decorated. And of course, some of the neighbors ran amok with this wacky idea.
The eastern coast of Wisconsin really has so much to see. This region gave the world the hamburger in Seymour, and the ice cream sundae, which originated in Two Rivers. Now we all know why Green Bay is famous, but did you know it’s the toilet paper capital of the world? So pack up and head east!
This book also has its own chapters on Mad Town, The Dells, Milwaukee, and the Monster Tour. Monster Tour?? Hmmmmm…..not sure I’ve ever heard of this, but Halloween isn’t too far off to find out. Whatever region you visit be sure to pack your camera!
This book can be found in the travel section at the La Crosse County branch in Onalaska. Check out our other branches in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, and West Salem.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
May 5, 2020
I visited a lot of cool places because of this book.
"Updated and even weirder, this new edition boasts more than 400 unique destinations for tourists looking for attractions off the beaten path. Bizarre locations and landmarks include Chainsaw Gordy’s Garden of Saws, Smokey Bear’s head, the World’s Largest Soup Kettle, the Toilet Bowl Parade, and the world’s only upside-down White House. This book offers fascinating and little-known historical tidbits and answers burning questions such as Where was Liberace born? What is a hodag, and how do you catch one? Who invented the hamburger? and Will a Polka Hall of Fame ever be built? This is the real guide to Wisconsin, birthplace of the snowmobile, the typewriter, and the ice cream sundae. The address, phone number, hours, cost, directions, and website of each oddity accompany its description."
"Updated and even weirder, this new edition boasts more than 400 unique destinations for tourists looking for attractions off the beaten path. Bizarre locations and landmarks include Chainsaw Gordy’s Garden of Saws, Smokey Bear’s head, the World’s Largest Soup Kettle, the Toilet Bowl Parade, and the world’s only upside-down White House. This book offers fascinating and little-known historical tidbits and answers burning questions such as Where was Liberace born? What is a hodag, and how do you catch one? Who invented the hamburger? and Will a Polka Hall of Fame ever be built? This is the real guide to Wisconsin, birthplace of the snowmobile, the typewriter, and the ice cream sundae. The address, phone number, hours, cost, directions, and website of each oddity accompany its description."
June 12, 2013
I loved this book! Ran through it in one shot. It's amazing how many of these oddities that I have visited! It must be that I am an oddity myself. :) (Please don't respond to that!) Actually, geocaching has brought me to many of these locations. Most unique locations like this have a geocache associated with them.
One of the perks is that the author gives maps that show you where these "unique" locations are to be found in proximity to one another. A road trip would be possible.
Best of the places that I've already visited: the Great Wall of China rock in Clintonville and the Happy Tales Books in Markesan.
Place that I most want to visit that I haven't yet: the Forevertron near Baraboo.
Thanks for putting all these oddities in one place! Loved it!
One of the perks is that the author gives maps that show you where these "unique" locations are to be found in proximity to one another. A road trip would be possible.
Best of the places that I've already visited: the Great Wall of China rock in Clintonville and the Happy Tales Books in Markesan.
Place that I most want to visit that I haven't yet: the Forevertron near Baraboo.
Thanks for putting all these oddities in one place! Loved it!
Read
August 4, 2019After reading two of these types of books I am feeling a bit strange myself :D. Why build 'the world's largest' of anything - then again: why not?
Some interesting historical bits.
Some interesting historical bits.
October 22, 2020
An excellent little book to take with you as you travel Wisconsin to take in the more unique and unusual sites. The book includes maps which help in planning day trips around the state.
May 3, 2015
This book was a lot of fun. I'm convinced that Wisconsin has a double dose if oddity, and I hsve seen an impressive number of these attractions. I grew up near the Kohler area, and I'm proud that the Kohler Foundation was behind the preservation of so many of these gems. On my wish list: the assorted grottoes and the Prairie Moon Gardens.
September 2, 2013
I loved Oddball Minnesota. And now that I'm back in Wisconsin, I really enjoyed Oddball Wisconsin. A fun, quirky read about places and things to see around Wisconsin. I now have a new list of places to visit.
August 29, 2014
Some places are no longer there, but it was a great read for finding something to do when I had one or two days off in a row.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews